


Love At First Sight

by HanaHimus



Category: Persona | Revelations Persona
Genre: Angstier than what I usually write for Elly and Reiji. Wow, Conversations, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Not shippy despite the title
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 16:37:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14719728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HanaHimus/pseuds/HanaHimus
Summary: “How do you feel about all those girls who like you?”“Girls who like me…? What are you talking about?”





	Love At First Sight

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to the one point in P1 where Eriko basically goes 'love at first sight? Seems fake and desperate.'
> 
> Also Reiji and Eriko are so similar in a lot of ways... It's fun to explore some of it in fics.

When Eriko approached Reiji’s desk at lunchbreak, he wasn’t sure what to expect. It could be anything, really. Something about Maki or Naoya, something about the occult, questions about his magic tricks… There wasn’t really a limit to what it could be. There was some things, however, that he would never expect to hear from her. Things like...

“How do you feel about all those girls who like you?”

“Girls who like me…? What are you talking about?”

“Reiji…” Eriko blinked. “Don’t tell me you never noticed!”

“...I don’t pay much attention to what’s happening around the school, Kirishima.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just started really trying in class, so… No, I didn’t notice them.”

Eriko deflated a bit. “I see… Then I guess I shouldn’t ask my follow up question.”

“You came here with a question  _ and _ a follow up question?” Reiji raised an eyebrow and sighed. “...Might as well ask it, anyway.”

“...Do you think love at first sight is real?” Eriko began to wring her hands together. “It seems so desperate to me and--”

Reiji held a hand up. “Kirishima, are you asking me this because of that following of girls I apparently have?”

“Yes…”

“And because a bunch of guys are always hitting on you.”

“Yes--” Eriko paused, blinking a few times. “Reiji, do you really notice the boys who show interest in me and not the girls who show interest in you?”

He shrugged. “They’re pretty forward about it, aren’t they? Usually I just see girls glaring at me.”

“Reiji…”

“Don’t look at me like that, Kirishima! I don’t know what else to call their glaring.”

“They’re staring at you because they’re interested in you…” Eriko shook her head with a sigh. “You’re too dense for your own good.”

“I’m not that dense…” Reiji shook his head. “Anyway, love at first sight, huh…? I dunno. I can’t say I’ve ever loved someone when I first saw them… And I dunno if those girls really like me or anything… A couple of them tried talking to me and got bored or something pretty quickly…”

“Ah, yes… Most of the girls mention your mysterious aura when they’re talking about liking you.” Eriko tapped her chin. “I guess speaking to you kills the illusion.”

“Well, whatever. They were so nervous and jumpy when they tried to talk to me anyway. Talking to girls like you or Sonomura is easier.”

“So… Girls who aren’t interested in you?”

“Girls who are upfront with me and aren’t building up a conversation based off my ‘aura’ or some shit.”

“Ah…” Eriko nodded. “Girls like that must be as hard to deal with as boys like that…”

“Based off the things I’ve heard you say and things others have said you’ve said to them… Yeah, probably.” Reiji scratched the side of his face. “I guess there’s less girls who’re forward about it, though.”

“That’s fair…” Eriko sighed, sliding herself into the chair at the desk in front of Reiji. “Sometimes all of this is so tiring…”

Reiji reached out a hand without thinking, ruffling her hair. “Sounds like you should stop trying so hard, Kirishima. That smile of yours is so fake sometimes it make me tired.”

“What?” Eriko reached up to fix her hair and she stared at Reiji. “Is my smile so obvious…?”

“...Maybe not to others, but to me, yeah. I’ve seen a lot of fake smiles on someone who means the world to me and…” He looked down. “I’ve seen what happens when the fake smiles aren’t enough to keep going anymore.”

“Reiji…” Eriko’s lower lip quivered a bit. “I’m really no good…”

Reiji ruffled Eriko’s hair again. “Come on, don’t say that… Shit, I’m just making it worse…”

“No, no!” Eriko stood up, straightening her skirt. “But, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Kirishima…” Reiji stood as well, a frown on his face. “Come on, if I upset you just let me know, dammit.”

“Oh no, no!” Eriko shook her head. “A lot of what you said helped me, but I do have some things I need to think on. Thank you!”

“Hey, Kirishima…!” Reiji held out a hand as Eriko ran off and out of the classroom. He would’ve followed if a girl hadn’t moved in, asking him what was going on and what they’d been talking about.

He brushed them off, shooting down any ideas they were building in their head. He didn’t give two shits what people thought, but… Well, he wasn’t so sure about Eriko. It’d be better to keep rumors out of circulation, for her sake.

...He’d probably already upset her enough, after all.


End file.
